


Mistletoe and Eggnog

by fastestmanalive



Series: 'Tis the season... [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-25
Updated: 2014-12-25
Packaged: 2018-03-03 08:51:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2845154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fastestmanalive/pseuds/fastestmanalive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Arrow and Flash teams have a Christmas party. Oliver has a crush. There's alcohol and mistletoe. Stuff happens.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mistletoe and Eggnog

**Author's Note:**

> (The title is a play on the Cliff Richards song, though obviously not a very good one. At least I tried.)

It's not that Oliver _hates_ Christmas, it's just... It's supposed to be a time to be with family, and he doesn't really have much of that left (at least not biological family. There's Thea, but she insisted on spending the holidays with Merlyn; he has no idea what she sees in him, but tries not to say anything as to not ruin their fragile sibling relationship). He has Laurel and Felicity and Roy and Diggle (and Lyla and the baby), but it's not the same. He's _grateful_ for them, he really is, but sometimes he gets nostalgic and thinks back to when he was a kid. Both his parents were alive, as was Tommy, and he misses them immensely, especially during the holidays.

Felicity must've picked up on his mood because she's dragging them all to Central City to have a joined Christmas party with the STAR Labs team. He's hesitant at first, but then he figures he can't spend Christmas alone, that would be too sad even for him. Also, he gets to see Barry again.

Oliver leans his forehead against the cool glass of the train window. He can feel Felicity's eyes on him from where she sits across from him but decides to ignore her. He'd finally admitted his crush on Barry to himself a few weeks ago, he doesn't need his friends to know as well. At least not that soon.

Oliver doesn't know what it is about Barry that fascinates him so much; his smile? his expressive eyes? ...his entire face? Probably all of these, and also his laugh, and his stupid jokes, and the passion in his eyes when he talks science, and... Oliver shakes himself out of his stupor. His cheeks are warm, and he hopes to God they're not as red as he fears they are.

 

 

They take a cab to STAR Labs (why the party is taking place in a laboratory, Oliver will probably never find out). The team has really outdone itself – Christmas lights and kitschy decorations cover every visible surface, on the outside of the building as well as on the inside. It's deliciously cold and smells like snow – just the way late December is supposed to be, in Oliver's opinion.

They're greeted by the smell of cookies and an overenthusiastic Cisco wearing a dark green sweater with a reindeer on it. His face falls when he sees Oliver's non-Christmas-y clothes. “Dude!” he complains. “Where's your holiday spirit? C'mon, at least smile a bit. For me?” Oliver rolls his eyes. Why is he here again?

“Hey, guys!” Barry calls from where he hangs even more ornaments on the already decorated tree across the room. He stretches to reach a branch near the top, and his shirt rides up a little and exposes the small of his back. Oliver swallows. _Oh yeah, that's why._

There are kisses and hugs, presents are put under the tree, before everyone sits down around a giant table overloaded with food. It looks like every piece of equipment and technology they usually need for work has been put away for the holidays; it doesn't look like a lab anymore, more like a Christmas elf's wet dream.

Barry is sitting next to him, occasionally nudging his elbow or knocking their knees together by accident, and Oliver feels like he's on fire. Barry mostly talks to Joe, who sits on his other side, and Oliver mostly watches him out of the corner of his eye; when Barry notices, he smiles at him so beautifully that Oliver almost chokes on his mashed potatoes. Roy frowns at him as he thumps on his back, silently asking _What's going on with you?_ , but Oliver shrugs him off. He's fine. Well, he would be, if Barry wasn't so... so _Barry_ all the time. He can't even find words to describe him anymore, that's how brainless this crush is making him.

After dinner, Cisco and Caitlin clear the table and, with the help of Barry and Joe, push it to the wall, creating a large space in the middle of the room. Caitlin turns on the radio – annoying Christmas music blares from the speakers, making everyone except Oliver smile at each other – and Cisco walks around with a tray of glasses full of eggnog. Oliver leans against the wall and watches the scene – Diggle and Lyla are swaying to the soft tunes of _Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas_ , Felicity is trying to coerce Roy into dancing with her, Joe excuses himself and leaves the room to call his daughter, and Barry is standing a few feet down the wall from him, watching the others with a soft smile. When Cisco walks by, he grabs the entire tray and downs one drink after the other. _Is he_ trying _to get drunk?_ Oliver asks himself. It doesn't seem like something Barry would do, but...

“Hey,” Caitlin says from his other side. Oliver shoots her a small smile. “Enjoying yourself?”

“Sure.”

Caitlin gives him a look. “You don't look cheerful. Which... okay, I don't think you _ever_ look cheerful, but it's Christmas! You're with friends, people who love you. Smile a little.” Oliver is really getting tired of people telling him to smile. What's it to them if he just doesn't feel particularly happy at this time of the year?

Unexpectedly, Barry saves him from having to give Caitlin an answer.

“Oliver!” he slurs and throws an arm around his shoulder. Caitlin frowns. Oliver's heart skips – Barry is so _warm_ and _close_. “C'mon, we're gonna dance.” That's all the warning Oliver gets before Barry takes his hand and tugs him to the makeshift dancefloor.

Oliver feels so out of place, it's not even funny. He stands completely still in the middle of his dancing friends (even _Roy_ is getting with the programme), feeling awkward. He considers going back to his place at the wall again, but Barry is having none of it. “Come on!” he yells, a bit too loud over the quiet music, and grabs him by the hips. The music changes to something faster, more upbeat, and Oliver holds his breath when Barry steps closer and wraps his arms around his waist. Oliver still isn't moving, and Barry rolls his eyes and puts Oliver's hands on his hips. Heat radiated through his thin shirt, and Oliver hopes Barry can't feel his hands getting sweaty.

Barry smiles at him when he starts shuffling his feet a bit. Oliver can feel several pairs of eyes on him, them, but he can't bring himself to care with Barry so close and smiling at him.

They dance for a while, and Oliver has to admit it's sort of fun. He can't remember the last time he let loose like this.

“Okay,” Barry huffs out a laugh halfway through _Mistletoe and Wine_. “I need something to drink. Come on.” He takes Oliver's hand again, tangling their fingers together, and Oliver decides he'll probably never get over the sensation, however simple the gesture may be.

Barry stumbles to the table, Oliver right behind him, and takes the bottle of eggnog. “Don't you think you've had enough alcohol for tonight?” Oliver asks, giving him a concerned look. Barry laughs again and shakes his head, taking a swig right from the bottle. Oliver decides not to comment on it.

“Hey, Allen!” Cisco yells from across the room, and they both look at him. “Look up,” he continues with a sly grin on his face. When Oliver does, he breathes in sharply. Of _course_.

“We don't, uh, we don't have to...” Oliver stutters and points to the mistletoe hanging above them.

Barry rolls his eyes. “Don't be silly, it's tradition!” he slurs before throwing his arms around Oliver's neck and crushing their lips together.

Oliver's brain short-circuits. He grabs onto Barry's waist to prevent them both from tumbling over – Barry is _enthusiastic_ , to say the least; he pulls their bodies flush together so they're touching from chest to knees, fists a hand into Oliver's short hair, tries to pry his lips open with his tongue. Oliver is putty in his hands; he lets Barry crowd him against the table, opens his lips compliantly.

He hears a wolf whistle, and suddenly Barry's lips and body and _warmth_ are gone. When Oliver opens his eyes, he sees Barry's shocked face and curses internally. _He's drunk_ , he reminds himself. _He doesn't know what he's doing. He didn't mean it._

Oliver's eyes sting with tears and he excuses himself, pushing through his confused friends to leave the room.

 

 

Oliver doesn't know his way around the lab, not really, so he puts on his coat and goes outside. He can't actually _leave_ yet, not without the others, but he has to cool down – the kiss and the embarrassment have left him feeling too hot and too big for his own body. He breathes in deeply, the cold December air burning in his lungs, and sits down on the icy steps in front of the building.

What was he thinking, not insisting on a chaste peck or even not kissing at all? Barry had too much to drink, he couldn't be held accountable for his actions. Oliver should have been the sensible one.

He groans. He's sure their friendship is ruined now, before it even really started.

The door opens and closes behind him. He doesn't hear the familiar click of heels, so it's not Felicity, but Diggle or Roy must have been worried and went after him. He's about to say he's fine, they can go back inside, when Barry speaks up. “Oliver?”

He turns around. Barry's only wearing his thin shirt, no coat. “Are you insane? It's freezing,” Oliver complains.

Barry shrugs. “I'll be fine... _if_ you come back inside.”

“I just... needed some fresh air.”

“Fine. I'm not going back without you.” He sits down next to Oliver, hugging his knees to his chest.

_Maybe the alcohol is keeping him warm_ , Oliver thinks. Still, Barry will get sick if he stays in the cold without a coat for much longer. “Here,” Oliver sighs, taking his off and handing it to Barry.

“Keep it, I'm fine,” Barry mutters, leaning his chin on his arms. Oliver puts the coat around his shoulders anyway.

They sit in silence for a few moments before Barry sighs and looks at him. “You're freezing.” Oliver shrugs. Barry frowns. “Why did you leave?”

“You're drunk,” is all Oliver says, as if it answers the question.

“I- I'm not.” Oliver raises his eyebrows. “Thing is... I can't get drunk. No matter how much I drink. I- Fast metabolism and all. So...”

Oliver's eyes widen. A snowflake lands on Barry's cheek – he hadn't noticed it had started snowing. He swallows hard. “So that means...”

“I have the biggest, most pathetic crush on you, and I thought you wouldn't hate me if I pretended to be drunk and danced with you and kissed you and-”

Oliver cuts him off by pressing their lips together and wrapping his arms around Barry. They both smile into the kiss.

“So...” Barry says against his lips after pulling away slightly.

“So...”

“It's snowing. We should go inside.”

“We should.”

Barry kisses him again, making him forget about the freezing cold.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Happy holidays :)


End file.
